Until the End
by Nishi No Kaze
Summary: The age of Shinobi has passed, but its greatest warrior lives on. Plagued by the memories of his past life, Naruto roams Earthland determined to right the wrongs of his predecessors and find his closest friend.
1. Awkward Encounters

Chapter 1: Awkward Encounters 

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based story. _Naruto_ , _Naruto: Shippūden_ , and _Boruto: Naruto Next Generations_ are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto. _Fairy Tail_ and _Fairy Tail Zero_ are all owned by Hiro Mashima.

* * *

 _"Hit your chakra with mine."_

 _"Are we going to play chakra tug-of-war again?" Naruto smirked, staring up at the colossal orange fox behind bars._

 _"You idiot, we don't need to do that this time."_

 _…_

 _"You're no longer the monster fox," Naruto's back was turned but he could tell the fox had a massive smirk plastered on his face. "You are a partner of a citizen from the Hidden Leaf."_

 _'Partner?' Shock crossed the fox's face, his jaw dropping open slightly._

 _"Let's go, Kurama!"_

 _…_

 _"At this point, nothing surprises me anymore." Sakura said._

 _Naruto looked across the field and noticed Kurama speaking with his siblings. In his excitement, he rushed over to the fox._

 _"Hey Kurama! Were you lonely being separated from me? I missed you!"_

 _…_

"Stupid Kurama, I miss you and you're off playing hide-and-seek."

Naruto Uzumaki peered up at the sky, watching the rain fall from the clouds, from his makeshift shelter. It wasn't anything impressive, he just drilled into the side of a mountain and formed a cave that he could escape the rain. Sighing to himself, he checked his bag and pulled out the last remnants of his rations before plopping down on the floor to eat.

He was worn out.

He had gotten an early start, determined to reach his destination before the end of the day. Vague reports from the locals stated there was a monster terrorizing the countryside. When he pressed for more information, the man shook his head and begged him to reconsider stating that challenging the beast was not in his best interest.

Had he been a lesser man, Naruto would have obliged. While the advice was appreciated, it was not needed. He gave the man a small bag filled with coins, a token for the information, then made his way towards the village.

Then, the rain came.

He bit into the small bar of granola and immediately spat out the content in disgust. It tasted like cardboard and in hindsight, the wet dog smell reeking from it should have been his first clue.

"You are the acid in what would otherwise be so heavenly," He threw the bar out of the cave and watched it plop into a puddle of mud. "You revolt me."

Normally, he would leave the task to the local guilds in the area. It was their job, after all. The Sage knows Guilds were better suited for the level of destruction needed to tame such a terror. Fiore's military was nice and all, but in this situation quality was a thousand times better than quantity.

No, it was better this way. Less bloodshed.

He placed a bag of carrots in front of his horse, rewarding his companion for his valiant effort. It wasn't a taxing ride, he weighed a buck eighty and all of his valuable items were tucked away safely in a scroll, but a day's ride was difficult and he wasn't too keen on going to court over animal cruelty charges. Besides, this small reprieve allowed him to prepare for the battle looming over the horizon.

He was well aware of the strength of the creature. It was said to be as large as a mountain and could topple buildings as tall as Kardia Cathedral in a single swing of its massive fists. Impressive, but it was a candle in the sun compared to the Tailed Beasts. The Beast, while imposing, would not be much of a challenge, but he couldn't care less for battle.

Naruto's ear perked up when he heard the squelching of feet meeting mud. He looked back and noticed travelers, two girls, and a man. Siblings, if their white hair was any indication. As they approached, his horse began to gallop around, clearly distressed by their presence. He stood and urged the horse to calm down, grabbing more carrots for it to distract itself by eating.

The group watched Naruto settle the horse down before approaching him.

Naruto scratched his head, "Sorry about that, he's a bit grumpy from the ride."

He watched as they looked at each other, contemplating their next course of action. The youngest of the three looked at their male companion, urging him to step forward and introduce them, but he shrugged her off; clearly not interested in diverging from their path.

Finally, their silent leader stepped forward, having grown tired of their antics. Her ivory hair was tied into a ponytail by way of a red ribbon. He felt bad because it seemed like her attire, which consisted of a black tube top that showed ample cleavage and a short skirt, weren't enough to keep her warm in this rain.

"No worries," she looked over at the horse, admiring its shining coat and comparing its ebony coat to her own white tresses. "We're just passing by, we didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Naruto waved her off before unbuckling the large scroll tied to his horse's saddle. They watched as he unfurled the scroll and weaved through weird hand signs before slamming his palm on the scroll, producing four cups of piping hot tea in a puff of smoke.

"You guys look beat and the rain is getting worse, how about some tea?" He said, passing along the cups to her brother and sister. She eyed the drink, cautious of its content. She may be immune to poisons, but her brother and sister were not. Noticing her apprehension, Naruto took a sip of his tea and made sure they watched him gulp the content down his throat. Satisfied with the demonstration, she nodded, signaling the "go-ahead" to drink the tea.

"Name's Naruto, nice to meet you." He extended his hand to the youngest of the group.

"I'm Lisanna," a smile caressed her lips as she firmly took his hand in hers and shook. "This is my older brother, Elfman." Naruto nodded, "and this is our older sister, Mirajane." Once again, Naruto extended his hand and watched as Mirajane cautiously took his had in hers and squeezed.

' _Strong grip'_ Naruto awkwardly chuckled as he retrieved his hand from her clutches.

Lisanna frowned, she turned to Naruto and opened her mouth to apologize but he shook his head and smiled.

"What are you three doing all the way out here? It's pretty dangerous."

"I can protect my sister's just fine." Elfman scoffed, flexing his muscles to show Naruto he could easily crush his head if he wanted to.

"Ah, I don't doubt that," Naruto smiled, amused at the younger male, "But there's a giant monster roaming around these parts. The entire countryside is doing their best to get away from it; and here you three are, moving towards it."

"That's our target. We're mages, from Fairy Tail." Lisanna turned around to show a bright red stamp on her right shoulder. "We're on a mission to stop the beast!"

Mirajane shook her head, her sister was too trusting.

Naruto whistled, he had been expecting them to say they were lost, separated from their family from the monster's attack. To hear the young girl casually state their mission, was impressive. As he took a closer look at the three, he grew aware of their posture. They weren't scared, Lisanna was a bit apprehensive, but Elfman seemed eager to fight the beast and test himself against its strength. Mirajane just looked aloof, as if she had done this a thousand times before and this was just a walk in the park.

"Surprised?" Mirajane's face barely concealed her glee.

Naruto poked his fingers together in a fashion similar to Hinata's habit. He was ashamed to admit that he had underestimated the group. They looked young, but he should have been the last to base a person's power on age alone.

Mirajane pounced, her ego not allowing the slight against her strength to go unpunished. "You shouldn't underestimate us. I **am** the strongest female S-class mage in Fairy Tail." A smug grin crept on the girl's lips and Naruto couldn't help but shudder, inching away from the slightly deranged teen.

The quiet, reserved girl was a distant memory as Mirajane paraded her accomplishments; it seemed that she held a victory over some girl named Erza as one of her biggest accomplishments. From what he gathered, there was no love lost between Erza and Mirajane, it seemed like the two hated each other. He couldn't help but recall his own rival and their animosity.

Lisanna couldn't stop her palm from slapping her forehead in exasperation; humility was definitely not a virtue her sister possessed. Erza and Mirajana had a habit of destroying the guild when they got into an argument, but she could hardly call their last battle a win. The two had knocked each other out, but her sister claimed she had woken up before her rival and thus deemed herself the winner.

"Wow, it sounds like you and this Erza girl really like each other." Mirajane sputtered as her bravado died down when she heard the man's claim.

"Are you stupid," Lisanna gasped at her sister's insult. Her hand rushed up to her cover her mouth in surprise, "What on Earthland would make you believe that I would ever like that stupid, flat-chested, tomato-head?"

Naruto grinned, teeth looking like a row of Kisame's teeth, "Because only friends would talk to each other like that!"

"Erza and Mira. Friends?" Elfman stammered. The word just _felt_ wrong when applied to those two.

Naruto frowned up at the sky, watching the sunset make room for the moon to appear, "Are they not?"

"Well..." Elfman paused, not sure if he wanted to continue the conversation. He looked to his left and noticed his sister's rage simmering. It wouldn't be wise to anger the volatile teen anymore; it was bad for his health. Only idiots would keep pushing her buttons.

"You guys are pretty young, so maybe you don't understand. Yet."

"We're young?" Lisanna giggled, "You don't look any older than 17."

Naruto shrugged. "I have good genes."

"So how old are you?"

"You shouldn't ask a gentleman how old he is."

"Who cares how old he is," Mirajane interrupted, "We have a village to get to and we're wasting time." She stood, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Mira-nee! Stop being rude," Lisanna grabbed Mirajane's arm and pulled her back to camp. "It's still raining," sure enough, the torrent falling from the sky had increased in the time they spent in the cave, "We shouldn't travel at night. We should stay." Her eyes began to water, an effect she taught herself at a young age to use in situations like these.

Mirajane looked up at the sky and frowned. They were supposed to have reached the town hours ago; it was too late to travel now. While she was confident in their abilities, she wasn't foolish enough to keep walking in the rain. Rest was needed. Lisanna seemed to be ready to drop like a rock, and while he didn't show it, she knew Elfman was reaching his limit as well. She was not comfortable making camp with some stranger, but she could not sense any ill intentions from him. If he were waiting for them to let down their guard, then the cover of night would be his best opportunity. She would be ready if the situation required.

Mirajane let out a sigh and nodded, noting Lisanna pump her fist in satisfaction. She didn't like it, but she'd rather deal with a known problem than an unknown one later down the line. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Naruto blinked, surprised to see Elfman address him.

"I'm looking for a friend."

"When did you last see them?" Naruto looked down, pondering the question, not too sure of the answer. Unsatisfied, he shrugged.

"I can't say exactly, I just know it's been a long time and I miss him dearly."

Mirajane frowned. She focused on his wistful blue eyes. They reminded her of the eyes she saw when she looked in the mirror when the villagers branded her a demon. When they would shout obscenities and deny them basic privileges like food and water. She still remembered the cold nights, huddled together trying to preserve their warmth, stomachs growling and digesting whatever lipids they had stored. Her siblings suffered _because of her._ That look in his eye really annoyed her.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find him. He's probably looking for you too! Just look up at the sky and think of him. I'm sure he'll be watching the same sky, thinking of you!" Lisanna placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled. Naruto's heart ached at the young girl's words. She was a lot more thoughtful than she let on, still, he was thankful for the kind words and returned her smile. He clapped his hands together, causing Mirajane to snap out of her thoughts.

"It's getting late, what do you guys say we get some rest?" He suggested.

"Lisanna, Elfman, hurry up and get ready for bed. We'll wake up early in the morning to catch up on the time we lost." Lisanna nodded and helped Elfman unpack their sleeping bags. Mirajane looked back at Naruto and watched him pull firewood from his scroll, her curiosity rose as he went through a series of hand signals and blew fire out of his mouth to light a campfire.

"That was so cool! You have Requip and Fire magic?" Lisanna cheered as she abandoned her task to analyze the campfire Naruto had made.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Naruto looked at Lisanna.

"I just thought it was,"

"Lisanna. Elfman needs your help. Don't get distracted." Mirajane shouted from the other side of the camp.

"Whoops, gotta go!" Lisanna flushed as she ran to help her brother.

After camp had finally been prepared, Naruto watched the family settle down into their bags and took a seat next to his horse. His exhaustion had evaporated from the earlier altercation with Mirajane. He glanced over at the mage and froze as she stared back at him. She smirked, satisfied with scaring the shit out of the blond before turning to her side and nodding off.

He looked around at the group and noticed Elfman and Lisanna sound asleep, but he noticed Mirajane shift slightly.

"So, do you really hate Erza?"

Mirajane froze and contemplated the question. She didn't hate the annoying redhead, but she didn't particularly like her either. What did this guy care anyway? It's not like they were going to become the best of friends overnight.

"You should mind your own business and go to sleep." She looked over her shoulder to see him sitting on the wall, watching the cave entrance.

Blue eyes blazing, he turned to look at the mage. "When I was younger, I had a friend that I always competed with. The guy was crazy strong, a genius." He scratched his chin and chuckled, "I felt like I would never beat him. I greatly disliked him, but over time I came to respect him and eventually he became my best friend." His voice was low now and she could feel the pain in his heart as he recalled the memories of his friend.

Mirajanes eyes softened and she understood: He saw her rivalry with Erza to be similar to his rivalry with his friend. She wondered what happened to his friends, but she could picture a couple of scenarios that would require this kind of reaction.

"When Erza first came to the guild, she wouldn't talk to anybody," She offered, pleased to see his eyes focused on her, "I-I didn't like the way she shut herself off from us. The look in her eyes reminded me of something I disliked." Naruto stared over at the girl and noticed her downcast expression.

"I realized how lonely she was on her own and I wanted to change that." He nodded.

That was the end of their conversation. Having said enough, Mirajane turned around and rested. Her mind may have been racing, but she couldn't help but smile as she felt the pressure in her heart leave her.

' _Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all.'_

He chuckled as he heard the girl's soft snores. He was glad to have crossed paths with the family. It was nice to be around other people, his journey did not allow him to settle down in one town and make friends. Still, he could not help but recall Mirajane's words earlier while he looked up and noticed that while there was no rain falling from the skies, fresh tears trailed down his face as he remembered his loved ones.

 ** _XxX_**

"Yo, Whiskers?"

"Me?"

"No dumbass, the tiger behind you."

"There's a tiger behind me?!"

"Gods, you're an idiot!"

"Mira-nee!"

"Enough! Why are you following us?"

Lisanna shifted nervously and couldn't keep the blush from appearing on her face. While not as bad as the previous night, it was clear Mirajane wouldn't warm up to their companion any time soon. Still, it would help if she were a bit nicer; there was no need to be rude after he went out of his way to help them.

"I thought you liked having me around!" Naruto beamed, making sure that he kept a firm grip on his horse's reins.

"I'd rather spend an afternoon with Erza than spend time with you." Mirajane grunted in annoyance.

"I thought you hated her." He teased.

"I hate you more." She huffed, picking up her pace to further herself from Naruto. She could feel her brain cells committing suicide as they listened to the idiot talking. Not even Natsu and Gray were this bad.

Naruto smirked as he watched Mirajane stroll away, glad that he could still ruffle a few feathers in his advanced age. However, with her departure, there was a huge hole in their formation. As he looked over their set-up, he noticed one thing. Tactically, it was shit.

But, he supposed he could let it slide. He was hard-pressed to believe somebody would attack them in broad daylight, and if any bandits dared, he was confident Elfman would be more than enough to scare the aggressors away.

Speaking of Elfman, he had terribly misjudged the boy. While understandably protective of his siblings, it seemed like he was nothing more than a huge teddy bear. He learned that he was a bit of a crybaby when he was younger and according to Lisanna, he was a great babysitter. Having taken great care of Lisanna's child, Happy. He was surprised when he overheard Lisanna mention the child, but he brushed it aside, he was not one to judge.

"Mira-nee, try to be nice." Lisanna frowned as Mirajane ignored her.

"It's okay Lisanna, she has her reasons." Naruto patted her head, messing up her silver locks. The girl did not seem to mind though.

"She should know better. Master would be very disappointed."

Naruto blinked, turning to look at her as his eyes grew wide in concern. "Master?"

Lisanna shook her head, "We're not slaves, Naruto," She chuckled. "Master Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, he's the guild leader, and he took us in after our parents died." Naruto frowned, ready to offer his apologies for dredging up bad memories. Lisanna waved him off, she had come to terms with her parent's death a long time ago. Fairy Tail was her family now.

"Sounds like a cool guy." Naruto could relate.

"Of course Master is cool, he is a man!" Elfman slapped Naruto on the back.

Naruto blinked, he was not aware he had confused their Master for a woman.

"Don't mind him, he's always raving about 'manly' things, you get used to it," Lisanna explained, smiling up at her older brother and his quirks.

"If you guys walked as fast as you talked, we'd probably be there by now," Mirajane shouted from the distance.

Naruto grabbed Lisanna and threw her up on his horse, ignoring her cries of protest. He then proceeded to jump on the horse and kicked its side, signaling it to stride into a gallop before waving back at Elfman.

"What can you tell me about Fairy Tail?"

"We're a family." Lisanna gripped the reins while staring at the autumn leaves fall. "Everybody has a past they struggle with. Fairy Tail is our sanctuary."

"It sounds beautiful."

"You mean cheesy." Naruto's eyebrow rose when he saw Mirajane stick her finger down her throat and pretend to barf.

Naruto reigned the horse in to match Mirajane's pace.

"You see that hill?" Lisanna pointed out to the distance to a small hill. Naruto squinted his eyes and noticed the fauna growing near the top. He also noticed a small tree that they could use to rest. "Once we're over that hill, we should see the village."

Mirajane stopped and tightened the ribbon around her hair. Naruto watched as Elfman warmed up with a set of fifty pushups. Lisanna just studied the environment, watching the animals interact.

"Where do you go from here?" Naruto turned to look at Mirajane, surprised at her question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you can't possibly be thinking of going with us." He could see her eyes widen, similar to the old man from the previous day.

"Why's that?"

Mirajane frowned, did he think that they would escort him? The tea and companionship were nice and all, but they had a job to do. She didn't bring her siblings along to babysit some weirdo.

"Look, Naruto was it? This is a dangerous job."

He nodded.

"You could get hurt."

He shrugged.

She clenched her jaw in frustration. "Even if your health isn't important to you, we can't be responsible with taking care of you _and_ defeating the monster. You'll only be in our way." She huffed, watching as the wind blew his annoying blond hair into his face.

"Careful Mira-chan, it sounds like you're worried about little old me."

She growled at his comment and made her way over to the irritating blond. Fine, if he wasn't going to listen to her, then she would have to take matters into her own hands. She dropped her bag and felt Lisanna and Elfman become tense. She rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to _maim_ him, yet. She smirked as she thought of the various ways she could punish this stranger for making her life difficult. As she moved closer she decided she would knock him out and leave him tied up to the tree by the hill. Sure, he might be a little irritated, but she was sure she'd thank him for saving his life.

Having made her way behind him, she noticed that Naruto seemed to be lost in thought. He didn't seem to have heard her approaching.

Perfect, this was her chance. She raised her fist and quickly brought it down only to blink when she found her fist had come nowhere near the blond. In fact, he wasn't even in front of her anymore.

She turned back to look at Lisanna when she heard her gasp. Lisanna was pointing at the tree on top of the hill.

Next to the tree was Naruto.

 _'No way, that has to be at least 800 meters. How'd he get there so fast?'_

Lisanna grabbed the reigns of Naruto's horse and urged Elfman to follow her. Mirajane watched her siblings make their way to their traveling companion, momentarily distracted by the events that had just transpired.

"Mira-nee, hurry up!"

Mirajane shook her head and ran to catch up with the group.

The Strauss siblings trudged up the hill and Elfman couldn't help but wonder how Naruto had reached the top so fast. Maybe he had teleportation magic as well? If he did, then the blond was definitely more powerful than he let on.

"Naruto!"

Naruto ignored the call, too busy analyzing the scene in front of him.

"What's the big idea, you shouldn't run off without us!" Lisanna shook her head at the man's impatience. "What if the monster was here?"

"He's not."

"Huh, How do you know that?" Lisanna moved to Naruto's side and gasped. Soon Mirajane and Elfman had joined the group as well and dropped their belongings as they noticed the destruction in front of them.

Naruto snarled as his knuckles turned white, "The monster destroyed the village and left. Everybody is already dead."

The scene in front of her would forever burn in Mirajane's mind as she thought back to the previous night. She should have been here to help, it was her job. Now people were dead because she wasn't here on time. She shouldn't have stopped.

The village they were supposed to have protected was burnt to the ground. The ground was filled with the bodies of the deceased as the pungent smell of blood filled the air. Mirajane grits her teeth and watched Elfman envelop Lisanna into a hug.

' _What's the worst that could happen?'_

We fail the people.

* * *

End.

Before you leave, I would like to ask you to provide feedback on the chapter. It may be a little short, but I hope I stayed true to the characters. Please be aware that the answers to your questions regarding Naruto will come with time. Anyway, that's all for now. Enjoy!

Nishi No Kaze.


	2. Live for the Future

Chapter 2: Live for the Future

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based story. _Naruto_ , _Naruto: Shippūden_ , and _Boruto: Naruto Next Generations_ are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto. _Fairy Tail_ and _Fairy Tail Zero_ are all owned by Hiro Mashima.

* * *

Mirajane looked over the twisted and mangled fields that served as the Beast's playground the previous day. The fires had burned away the homes and foliage around the area, and what used to be beautiful farmlands would need rehabilitation to return to normal.

"We should have been here," she said to herself, "We could have stopped this, if not, at least we could have evacuated the residents."

Her inner musings died down when a quick flash of yellow alerted her to the presence of her group's latest companions. A frown came to her face when she remembered the reason they weren't here the night before.

A groan came from Naruto's mouth as he delicately grabbed a corpse from the floor and moved it over to the ditch Lisanna and Elfman were digging. The two siblings requested they make graves for the deceased, it wouldn't feel right to leave without laying their bodies to rest. Naruto had agreed, and they spent the rest of their afternoon searching the area for corpses. While searching, she found various family treasures: Tattered photos of the families and remnants of the stuffed animals the children used to help them fall asleep at night, were littered among the village.

"Mira-nee, can you help me with this?"

Mirajane turned to see Lisanna struggling to remove a collapsed roof. As she approached, she noticed Naruto make his way over to the site as well and couldn't help but growl in annoyance. It was irrational, but a part of her felt like it was his fault she had not been here to help. If they hadn't have come across the blond, then the group would have been able to save the villagers. She was certain of that.

"Thank you, Naruto." Lisanna smiled while Naruto reached out and gave her a pat on the back to comfort her.

Mirajane let out a sigh and ran her hand through her soft, ivory locks. ' _He's only trying to help. I should look to do the same.'_ When she reached the scene, she hesitated briefly and asked, "Are you okay?"

He nodded before handing her a canteen filled with water. Thankful, she took the canteen in her hand and drank down its contents, the refreshing liquid eased away from the searing pain clawing at her throat. Once parched, she returned the item but quickly turned around when she heard Lisanna's gasp.

Her eyes widened, and she felt the tightening of her chest and the loss of breath at the sight before her. It was the body of a mother holding on to her daughter in their dying moments. Their skin had been seared off, possibly due to their inability to escape the fires started when the beast rampaged. She heard Lisanna weep and watched as Elfman enveloped her in his arms and tried his best to console the teen by stroking her scuffed face.

"Mira-nee, I-I can't handle this pain." Mirajane could feel the tears pooling in her eyes at her sister's words. She left her spot next to Naruto and moved to her family. "I don't ever want this to happen again, Mira-nee." Lisanna cried into her sister's chest.

Mirajane bit her lip. She felt useless, what could she say? _Everything is going to be alright Lisanna._ No, that was useless. It wasn't going to be alright, not for a while, at least.

"We made a promise to protect them!" Lisanna wailed into her sister as she gripped the hem of her shirt. "All the family's that died today, we failed them. We let all of their dreams die!"

The tears burst forth like water from a dam as they spilled down Lisanna's face. She could feel her own chin tremble while she caressed her sister's cheek. She heard her sister's wails and watched as Elfman held them in silence, rocking them, trying his best to burden their pain, but she felt cold. Numb to the world.

' _We let their dreams die.'_

It wasn't fair.

 ** _XxX_**

 _"You always get in the way, Naruto. It never fails."_

 _"Ah, you beat him Sasuke!"_ _Naruto's bloodied face broke into a grin, relieved to be done with the battle._

 _'Huh?' Naruto noticed Sasuke's back riddled with the needles their attacker used throughout the fight. Sasuke's stance felt loose and Naruto could tell he was getting ready to drop from exhaustion. He could feel the sweat roll down his skin, the throbbing of his eyes, and the thumping of his heart against his chest._

 _"You should see the look on your face." Sasuke gasped out, blood running down his chin. "You look like an idiot."_

 _…_

 _"Sasuke!" Naruto cradled the young Uchiha in his arms, watching with wide, blue eyes, as the light left Sasuke's eyes._

 _"He's still out there, my brother," Sasuke groaned, "I promised myself I'd stay alive until I killed him."_

 _Sasuke reached up, using the last of his energy to grasp Naruto's hand in his. He remembered the moments they shared while training to grow stronger and he couldn't help but feel like he was leaving a member of his family. With his dying breath, he said, "Naruto, don't let your dream die."_

 _…_

"Hello, Earthland to Naruto."

Naruto blinked, "I'm sorry?"

Lisanna gave a small smile, "We thought you'd like to pay your respects." His eyes peeked at Mirajane and noticed that she was kneeling in front of the graves with her eyes closed, silently reciting a prayer for the deceased. Elfman stood over his sister, a silent protector.

"Oh," He murmured, noting that Lisanna was eyeing him expectantly.

He moved closer to the graves and sat next to Mirajane, quietly contemplating his words. Once Mirajane finished her prayer, she stood next to her brother and allowed Naruto a moment alone.

"I keep your memory near my heart," He whispered, reaching out to the wooden cross in front of him. "And pray to remember that our pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses our understanding, it is the bitter potion by which the physician within, heals our sick self. Therefore, we trust the physician and drink this remedy, in silence and tranquility."

He nodded before standing and dusting the dirt off his sleeves.

"That was poetic Whiskers," Mirajane offered a small smile.

Naruto returned the smile.

Elfman and Lisanna were back on their feet and their fatigue from the arduous day had subsided as they moved over to the pair.

"So," Naruto said, in a firmer voice than anyone would have expected from him, "How do you guys feel?"

They paused, they weren't sure how to feel. This was their first interaction with death. They felt horrible, like a gnawing feeling in their head that just wouldn't go away. Still, Lisanna couldn't help but feel relieved, and she felt guilty for feeling that way.

Naruto noticed the apprehension in the young mage's eyes and raised a golden eyebrow, urging her to speak. She hesitated and looked at her siblings. "I feel horrible for saying this, but I'm thankful we stopped to rest last night." _._

Naruto raised an eyebrow. It took courage to confess something like that. "Go on," He encouraged.

It felt like a good idea to let Lisanna speak her peace. These were feelings that had festered in her heart over the course of the day. It was easy to see that the poor girl, the entire family, had been shaken to the core by the events; which is why he felt it was important to discuss the matter now, while the feelings were still fresh in their hearts and mind—They _needed_ to talk about this. If not, the emotions would fester until they found other outlets to vent their frustrations on. He doubted sweet, innocent Lisanna would go on a warpath to avenge the fallen villagers. But there were other paths of self-destruction that she could find.

"I didn't want to say anything because I felt like a horrible person for _thinking_ it, but," she bit her lip and he could see a small drop of blood from her having cut too deep into them, "We were tired last night. If we had kept going—we would have died." She could hear Mirajane's gasp, and her heart instantly plummeted in shame. _I'm a horrible person._

Naruto looked over to see Mirajane's hands covering her mouth as he took a moment to absorb the young woman's words. Elfman just remained quiet, clearly uncomfortable with Lisanna's statement. From what he had deduced of Elfman's character, he would have hastily jumped into the fray once shit hit the fan, possibly placing himself and the others in danger; and with the way he was rubbing his hands, a nervous habit, he knew that Elfman realized that as well.

"I'm assuming you both agree with Lisanna's statement?"

The silence spoke volumes.

A grimace pulled on Naruto's pursed lips. "No one is blaming you guys for this. Like it or not, Lisanna is right." Mirajane looked like she wanted to comment on that, but Naruto sharply turned and glanced over the mangled fields. "Look what that monster did to this village." They turned, analyzing the wreckage and torn foliage. The fires that raged earlier were long gone, but the scars left on the earth remained.

"Regardless of how powerful you guys think you are, one, if not all of you would have died last night." Naruto turned to face the three and he could see the storm brewing in Mirajane's sapphire eyes.

"How can you say such a thing, even if it were true?"

"Because it is a truth you have to accept."

"We're mages! When I took that job I knew there were risks involved. I—"

"You were arrogant."

She felt the painful knot in her stomach twist tighter. No, she knew what she was doing. She had been on hundreds of jobs like this before, which is why she felt comfortable bringing her family along. This job was within her capabilities.

"No, we were ready."

"You were selfish."

Elfman growled, "Who do you think you are, talking to her that way?!"

"She was ready to walk out into rain last night, and she only stopped to consider you two after Lisanna mentioned that it was raining." Naruto spat.

Mirajane froze, he was right. She was reckless, in her haste to make it to the village on time, she had ignored her siblings. She was used to the arduous pace that she kept, but they weren't.

They weren't anywhere near her level, and in her arrogance, she assumed she would be more than enough to keep them safe. Hell, Elfman couldn't even properly control his Take-Over Magic and they were going up against the King of Beasts, what was she thinking?

"No, you're wrong," Mirajane looks towards Elfman. "Mira-nee has always protected us," His eyes shined with resolved, "we live and fight for her, no matter the situation!" He stood confidently next to his sister with a firm grip on her shoulder.

"We made a promise to always be together," Lisanna stood next to her siblings. "She believed in us, and we believe in her strength!"

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

Rain.

The first droplets of water splash against her face, and she closes her eyes.

Shaking?

It takes her a moment to realize that she is crying.

 ** _XxX_**

 _"It's my job to save Sasuke!" He snarled at the older man, "He's my friend!"_

 _"Can you honestly call him a friend after what he did to you?" Jiraiya snarled. "Dismiss him from your mind and move on. To be a ninja you need more than strength and jutsu. If you want to live as a ninja, you must become smarter. This world is no place for a fool."_

 _"I understand," Jiraiya looked back at Naruto. "If being smarter means what you say it does, I'll remain a fool my entire life!"_

 _…_

 _I didn't understand what you meant long ago, but now, it weighs heavy in my heart. To see these young adults suffer like this hurts. I can only imagine what you went through, Master. I guess I'm still a fool, Ero-Sennin._

He snapped out of his daze at the sound of wood hitting the floor.

"You're not doing a very manly job."

"What?"

"The way you're cutting the wood, it's atrocious."

Naruto dropped the ax and stared at the giant man in front of him. _How do you cut wood wrong?_

"A real man doesn't need some flimsy tool," He grabbed a large stump from his pile, "A real man uses his fists!" In one fell swoop, Elfman ripped the large stump and held two perfectly cut pieces in his hands.

Naruto remained silent.

"Nothing huh?" The giant scoffed. "I didn't take you for a scaredy-cat."

Naruto Uzumaki was called many things. A show-off, the Child of Prophecy, Savior of the World, Lord Seventh, and to his very beautiful wife, he was a _very_ passionate lover. To call him a scaredy-cat, was just _sad_. In his heyday, he faced off against monsters that could tumble mountains in one swoop of their tails. He ended a war in three days! Yes, it took some help, but let's not act like he wasn't doing most of the legwork.

He was the living embodiment of manliness and this… _amateur_ , was doubting, _him?_

But still, it made sense that people would doubt him. He's been doubted his entire life, well, maybe not the latter portion of his life. But, he was used to the underdog role. If this poser wanted a shot at the manliest man to ever grace the face of this planet, then he'd acquiesce.

 _Nobody fucked with Naruto Uzumaki._

He smirked and Elfman raised an eyebrow. Elfman coiled his impressive biceps and flexed. Naruto was not impressed.

"Hmm, so Hotshot, you want to challenge the Great Elfman?"

"Challenge you? No. I'm going to _destroy_ you." Naruto smirked.

…

Elfman was panting, _hard_. It had been three minutes into his impromptu contest that he learned how outclassed he was, it took five minutes to learn that Naruto Uzumaki was a monster. His fingers were raw from the constant ripping of the log, but Naruto was tearing through them like paper, with no intention of stopping.

"What's wrong? You were pretty talkative earlier, cat got your tongue?"

Elfman growled and returned to his pile. In his anger, he regained some of the energy he had lost and quickly began to catch up for lost ground.

"You were wrong," Elfman said.

Naruto blinked, _what was he talking about?_

"When you said that Mira-nee was arrogant," Elfman commented, the sound of lumber being ripped in half droning out the sounds of the night.

Naruto was silent for a moment.

"No," The blond grabbed another log and easily ripped into the lumber, "I _am_ right."

"Who are you to judge other people?" Another log was haphazardly ripped in two.

"A man who has seen a lot more than you."

Elfman shook his head, "You don't know us, you don't know what we're capable of."

Naruto grabbed two logs in each hand, eyes burning with fury as he _crushed_ the logs in his hands.

Elfman hesitated.

"I know a fool when I see one."

Elfman blinked, dumbstruck.

"Have you ever fought against a monster the size of a mountain?"

Elfman shook his head.

Naruto nodded, "You can barely keep up with me in a wood-chopping competition," motioning to the flimsy hill of logs at Elfman's feet, compared to his mountain of logs, "And you expect to be powerful enough to defeat a monster that can decimate an entire forest in one swing?"

A beat.

Elfman hung his head and fell silent. _This was a test._

"Ah, so you finally understand what I'm trying to tell you." Naruto sighed and rubbed the dirt off on his pants. Briefly, he wondered if he was doing the right thing, antagonizing this man. He was right, who was he to judge them… But, he had seen fools rush to their death in the past. _He_ was once foolish enough to rush into battle with no regard for his safety.

"Mira-nee would—"

"Mirajane would have died to protect you." Elfman flinched.

"I'm sorry," Elfman said while looking to see Naruto getting closer. The blond placed a hand on his shoulder and even though the blond was wary of any sudden movements, he could tell he was only trying to comfort him.

Elfman was suddenly very tired. The idea of his sister dying to protect them had never crossed his mind. To him, his sister was indestructible, would she have really fallen if she had faced against such a beast?

He shook his head. No, not if she was on her own. But with Elfman and Lisanna tagging along, they would have burdened her and at that moment, he realized how weak he truly was.

His shoulders shook, and his heart clenched as the full weight of Naruto's words crashed down on him.

 ** _XxX_**

Lisanna felt in dire need to hug something.

There was a shuffling sound in the darkness and she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto near the campfire, cutting firewood to feed the simmering flames. He felt her eyes on him and turned to meet her gaze until she blushed and quickly turned back around to stare at the forest.

"Lisanna," Mirajane said softly, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I see them when I close my eyes."

Mirajane sighed and took her sister into her arms. At first, she thought the commotion from Elfman and Naruto's competition was keeping her awake, but she didn't realize how much of an impact today's events had on her younger sister. It was their first time dealing with death.

She hoped that the day would never come when they would have to bury innocent people.

Today, she failed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into Lisanna's ear, "If I hadn't brought you guys along, you wouldn't have seen these things." Lisanna felt Mirajane's shoulders tremble. "This is all my fault."

"None of this is your fault." Mirajane fell silent as Lisanna turned to glare at Mirajane. "You blamed yourself when the villagers tormented us, you're not allowed to blame yourself for this."

Lisanna caressed her sister's cheek and broke out into tears. "We're a family, we face our problems together."

Lisanna's touch lingered for a moment until she decided her sister was stable. "You don't have to shoulder your burdens alone, not when you have us."

Rolling her eyes, Mirajane poked her sister in the forehead, "When did you go and grow up. I'm supposed to be the Big Sister here."

Lisanna giggled, "I've had practice."

 ** _XxX_**

Naruto watched, only mildly amused, as the younger members of the group huddled together in their sleeping bags. Elfman and Lisanna were close. They were probably closer to each other than they were to Mirajane. Now, don't get me wrong. Mirajane was their anchor, their motivation. They ate, slept, and breathed Mirajane, but they saw her as the absolute. The most powerful woman in their life and their caretaker. There would always be a barrier between the trio because of those titles.

Still, they were impressive. It was like watching a grandfather clock in motion. No one moved without purpose, and every step they took carried each member forward. They were a great team due to the years they've had in relying on one another.

By this point, Naruto was not surprised at the group dynamic. But he could tell that it took its toll on the eldest of the group. From their brief experience together, he noticed the little things. Mirajane never ate until her siblings had already eaten first, she never slept until she knew the area was clear of any immediate danger. To say Mirajane loved her siblings, would be an understatement. He wholly believed that if Mirajane ever lost either Elfman or Lisanna, she would not be able to move forward.

He chuckled, who was he to talk about moving forward?

"What's so funny?"

 _Speak of the devil._

He shook his head, "Don't pay attention to a codger like me."

Shaking her head in amusement, Mirajane briefly wondered if this guy was insane.

"How old are you?"

"It's rude to ask a gentleman how old he is."

Mirajane rolled her eyes, "You can kiss my ass, Mr. Gentleman."

Naruto blinked, face red similar to Hinata's.

She got him.

In his embarrassment, he didn't notice Mirajane's soft laughter at seeing him blush. She didn't notice the fear and mistakes of her past slip away from her for a slight second.

Once they settled down, she was grinning at him, indulging in his flustered face.

"It wasn't that funny."

"No, but your face was priceless."

Naruto chuckled as he realized how funny he must have looked. Turning, he took a moment to appreciate the company. The teen was obviously much easier to get along with, once you got to know her. She was high-strung and assertive, but those were just a front. Staring at her, he noticed the way she shrunk into herself, even when the fire moved to cover her with warmth. She was a troubled soul, he could relate to her.

"What are you looking at?"

"Don't know, I'm still trying to figure that ugly face out."

Mirajane grasped the ax he was using earlier and hurled it at the blond. Naruto's eyes widened as he moved out of the projectile's trajectory.

She was disappointed that the weapon didn't hit its intended target.

"That could have chopped my head off!"

"A pity it's still on your shoulders."

He placed his hands in the air, signaling his immediate surrender and looked at the spot next to her. Rolling her eyes, she moved over to the side and gave him ample room to sit. He slowly made his way over to her making sure she didn't have any weapons hidden in her person before sitting down next to her.

With a sigh, he noticed her melancholy and couldn't help but feel like this girl was cut from the same cloth as he. Her eyes screamed loneliness and he was a sucker for pretty girls and tragic backstories.

"So, what's your story?" He asked.

Mirajane pursed her lips in thought, "My parents were farmers," She grabbed a stick and began to poke the fireplace. "They liked going into the forest to gather wood."

Naruto nodded as he watched the flames dance under the night sky.

"One day, they had the misfortune of running into a pack of wild tigers." The fire reflected in her eyes, but Naruto could tell she wasn't there with him at this moment. She was reliving that day. "It was a massacre, blood, and guts all over the forest floor."

Naruto winced.

"There was nothing left of the remains, but I knew they were my parents." She looked at him, and his heart went out to the poor girl.

"I was the one to bury them, and with their remains I buried…" She stopped.

"Your innocence?" He offered, and a nod of her head confirmed his answer.

"On that day, I swore I'd never let Lisanna or Elfman face that kind of situation. I'd be their protector and as long as I lived, they would never see what I saw." She sighed. She had been carrying this story with her for most of her life, and it felt good to let it out.

"After that, the church in the village was attacked by a demon. I used my _Take-Over_ magic to incorporate the demon into my body, but the villagers and I didn't know any better." Suddenly, her arm transformed into a leathery claw and Naruto's interest was piqued. He stared at her claw until she withdrew it from sight, feeling a tad self-conscious.

"They drove us away and we scrounged for food for months until we found Fairy Tail." At the mention of their guild, he could see Mirajane's face perk up. Naruto gazed at her with a newer understanding.

"You know," She looked over, "You remind me of me when I was younger." He chuckled. She laughed.

"My parents died protecting me from an attack and the villagers shunned me because I was _different."_ She looked at him and recalled those wistful blue eyes from the night before. Finally, it clicked. The reason he bugged her so much, was because they were a lot alike. He was a reflection of herself. "I made it my mission to be acknowledged by those who shunned me. One day, my team and I went on our first mission outside of the village, it was supposed to be a simple escort mission, but things are never simple when dealing with me." He threw more lumber into the fire and she watched the flames roar to life once more.

"We fought against people a lot tougher than us. My teammate was trapped and I jumped into the fray to try and save him, but I was just in the way and he was cut down in front of my eyes." A sudden chill ran down Mirajane's back.

"He was only unconscious, but I didn't know better. I thought he was dead, and it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest." He gripped his chest and tears fell from his eyes, remembering the day he almost lost Sasuke.

"I hated him, but he still jumped out to save me. He was willing to sacrifice his dream to save my pathetic self." His bangs covered his eyes.

"When I saw the mother and child today, the first thing that crossed my mind was you and Lisanna and how it could have been you two if you had continued walking last night." He turned to look at Mirajane as deep blue eyes tried to convey his sadness.

He closed his eyes.

A moment of silence rang between the two as they worked to collect themselves. After a couple of minutes, Mirajane spoke up again.

"You were right. I shouldn't have taken them on that mission." She whispered.

He looked away and spoke, "Why did you?"

"I thought I would be able to protect them, I've fought monsters my entire life," She shook her head, "I thought it'd be good combat experience for them." She turned to look at Elfman and Lisanna curled up together in their beds.

"I thought if things went sideways, I'd be powerful enough to protect them." His eyes softened, and he understood.

"To be a mage, you must acquire the judgment to make the right decisions." Naruto sighed, running his hand through his golden locks. "If you had come alone, you would have been able to face off against that monster, _possibly_ defeat it. Who knows?" He shrugged. "But you could have also failed, one thing to take from this moving forward is to understand that there are consequences for all of our actions, and we have to live with those consequences, whether glorious or tragic."

 _'Mira-nee, I can't deal with this pain.'_ Her sister's words came to mind and Mirajane frowned. As the older sister, she was supposed to protect her siblings, not provide them with more pain. Her eyes glossed over and she realized how her actions also had a consequence on her family. She thought she was doing right by them, but she almost led them askew.

She looked up when a hand was placed on her shoulders, where she saw the blond with a smile that almost took her breath away, "Take life's experiences and build strength from them, not weakness."

He squeezed her shoulder to reassure her and she couldn't help but smile as she could feel her heart slowly mending itself. She felt better and knew that she would need to learn how to forgive herself before moving forward. If not for her, then for her loved ones.

As she looked at her siblings with a warm smile on her face, she thought one thing, _'We're going to be okay.'_

 ** _XxX_**

They had packed up in the early morning. Naruto had sealed the mountain of the log which he and Elfman made the previous night into a small storage scroll and claimed he would sell the wood at the next village. They walked together until they were at a crossroad and the trio couldn't help but be a little sad that their adventure, however unfortunate it was, was coming to an end.

"Won't you consider joining our guild, Naruto-san?" Lisanna seemed to have developed a habit of saying what was on other's minds.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head, "No, I still have to find my friend. Besides," He placed a hand on her head and shook, tussling her silver locks, "An old man like me would only hold you back."

Lisanna's cheeks puffed in annoyance as she grabbed Naruto's hand and moved it away from her hair, but her lips were curved upward, and he knew she didn't mind. He moved to recall his hand, but she pulled on it and enveloped him in a tight hug. Her height barely reached his shoulder, so he patted her head with a laugh.

Elfman, looking slightly more upbeat, stepped up, "You are a true man. I hope for a rematch the next time we meet." He offered his hand, and Naruto heartily took it and shook. Before he let go, he lightly squeezed and Elfman's yelp made him chuckle once more.

Finally, the shinobi's attention turned to the last member of the group. She seemed to be carrying herself better, not so gloomy. _Good, the last thing I need is another Sasuke running around._

"It was nice," he smiled, "meeting you guys. I hope you all take care of yourselves." He looked over each member of the group and nodded.

Rolling her eyes, Mirajane jabbed the blond on his arm and handed him a small, black ribbon. He blinked, and looked over the girl, finally noticing that she no longer had her hair tied into a ponytail; instead, it cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.

"What's this?"

"A memento," She gave him a warm smile, "to remember us."

He looked over the three and felt his heart beat slightly faster. His throat felt tight and he could feel the tears brimming in his eyes before closing his eyes. This was the sweetest thing.

"Thank you, Mirajane." He said, wrapping the ribbon around his bicep.

"Call me Mira." She smiled, and he couldn't help but blush. Giggling to herself, she said her last goodbye, "Let's agree to meet up again."

Smiling, he stretched out his curled hand, "It's a promise."

She reciprocated his smile, and she reached out, brushing her knuckles against his own and bumped fists. For an instant, she came to understand the man in front of her as he shared some of his feelings with her. His eyes shined with protectiveness and his silent message was accepted, _be safe._ She nodded.

"I'll hold you to that promise, Whiskers."

After a while, Naruto turned around and slowly walked away, waving his hand in the air.

They continued watching, even as his form disappeared in the horizon. Finally, they turned to start their journey back home.

They walked past people and couldn't help but wonder if they knew the inhabitants of the village they failed to save. Their failure weighed heavy on their heart, but Mira was thankful for her family's good health. Still, she gazed up at the sun and promised to grow stronger, to be a better leader for her family.

"We're going to live," She looked back at her siblings and back over the horizon to Naruto, "For the future."

"Ne, Mira-nee?" The short-haired girl sighed as her sister turned around, "Where do you think the monster that destroyed the village went?"

"Who knows, but if it comes back, we'll stop it. Together."

 _ **XxX**_

 _"_ Bind him, Ultear."

Chains rained down on the colossal beast's frame as its body was bound by various purple chains. The Beast continued to roar in anger, intent on freeing itself from its prison and continuing its warpath.

A man chuckled from the shadows as he looks upon his capture. He had found him parading through a desolate village and he could use its power to his advantage, it was a shame that all that power was controlled by a mindless beast. Still, this was perfect.

 _The King of Beasts at my disposal._

* * *

End.

I'd like to take a moment to thank each and every single one of the people that took time to review, favorite, or place my story in their alert list. I was going to upload this later on in the week, but you guys were so awesome that I'd like to share this chapter with you to share my contentment in your reception of the story.

This chapter was slightly difficult to write, but I'm pleased with it. We got plenty of emotional moments with all of our characters, we even got a couple of scenes between Mira and Lisanna. The Elfman and Naruto scene was fun to write and I think that the tension at the end was some of my best work on this story. Our characters are _not_ okay, but they're trying to live with the consequences of their decisions. They're shaken and moving forward, every action they take will root back to this moment. Mirajane was especially fun to write because she is such a tragic character! I know Fairy Tail gets a lot of flack, but you can't tell me that Hiro Mashima doesn't know how to pull at your heartstrings!

Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think. Leave a review, send me a private message, follow the story, tell all your friends, whatever you need to do. I'd be more than happy to discuss whatever comes to mind.

Nishi no Kaze


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